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Our Opinion

The Huawei Honor Play (6GB RAM) is a slightly better phone, but the Xiaomi Mi A2 (Android One) is significantly better value for money. Which phone should you buy? Depends on how much your want to spend!

Also special is support for 'GPU Turbo' which reduces battery drain when playing supported games (technically it is a core level change to how the GPU handles the rendering of visuals) - Honor also is working on implementing GPU Turbo for EMUI visuals which should improve batteryperformance of the phone even during general use

Also enabled later via an OTA would be a feature called AI 4D Smart Shock to bring a new level of immersion for gamers - the feature will provide haptic feedback that is unique and customised to the games you play and the actions you execute within that game

Good selfie camera, especially in daylight conditions - selfies are rather pleasant and the colours, contrast and dynamic range are all within an acceptable range

Very good battery life - it will easily last a day and a half or more on moderate to heavy usage - and if Honor does truly end up implementing GPU Turbo for EMUI’s interface like they plan to, you can expect even better battery life over the course of time

Supports fast charging

On the whole, the Honor Play looks like a good choice at this price point - if you’re looking for a phone that’s all about great battery life, really good performance and great visuals, the Honor Play will suit your needs beautifully, as long as you don’t particularly care about having the very best imaging device as well

Well built

The fingerprint reader on the back is in a natural position to comfortably unlock with either index finger

Contemporary, tall 18:9 display, brings the Mi Android One series up to modern standards

One of the best parts about the phone is of course the fact that it is part of the Android One series, which should mean guaranteed Android updates for at least 2 years + a stock, simple version of Android, with no unnecessary bloat

Butter smooth performance backed by a powerful Snapdragon 660 chipset, hardly seen at this low a price bracket

Stellar set of dual cameras on the rear - arguably the joint best at this price point, at par with the excellent Redmi Note 5 Pro - take nice photos in good and low light alike, and the bokeh shots too come out well

Very good selfie camera, with good bokeh shots - overall one of the best selfie cameras in this price bracket

Very loud loudspeaker, one of the best in this price bracket

Fast charging support

On the whole, the Mi A2 is a good, solid phone in this price bracket and you won't go wrong with it - it will compete strongly against the likes of Redmi Note 5 Pro (a bit cheaper, but doesn't have stock Android), and Honor Play (faster, better for gaming, but loses on the software)

2-minute Review [Negatives]

EMUI is not the most simple Android UI and can be cluttered at places

GPU Turbo support is currently limited to very few games

GPU Turbo is also not an exclusive feature - it will roll it out to existing phones like the Honor 10, Honor View 10, Honor 9 Lite and Honor 7X via a software update - so if you can afford the Honor View 10, it might be a better choice, since the Honor Play is basically a toned down version of the Honor View 10 (the View 10 especially has an edge with its cameras)

The rear dual camera setup does decently well in good light, but the low-light performance could have been significantly better - there are better-overall-camera phones around in this price bracket, including the likes of the Mi A2, the Redmi Note 5 Pro, and the Zenfone 5Z

No 3.5mm jack, so if you want to use your existing standard-jack headphones, you will need to use an adapter (included in the box)

Brightness levels for the display could have been better - it's not the easiest phone to use under sunlight

The battery life could have been better - it will last you the day with moderate use, but it's not as good as the best of the competition

Expert Reviews

If you’re looking for a phone that’s all about great battery life, really good performance and great visuals, the Honor Play will suit your needs beautifully, as long as you don’t particularly care about having the very best imaging device as well